Continued…
**[19:16] And relate the story of Mary as mentioned in the Book. When she withdrew from her people to a place to the east, **
Mary was given away to God by her mother before her birth (for that see Quran chapter 3, verses 35, 36, 37). The mother of Mary was pregnant and she thought she will have a son. That she would spare that son to work for God only. But when she delivered, it was a baby girl. She named her Mary…
When Mary was about a few years old, the rmother, according to her promise made with God, took Mary and left her in a temple to the east of her home in some far away city… That temple was in the charge of Zakariyya a.s.
So Mary moved at the very young age to an eastern place. (God knows where !)
[19:17] فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُوْنِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَاَرْسَلْنَاۤ اِلَيْهَا رُوْحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا
[19:17] And screened herself off from them, then We sent Our angel to her, and he appeared to her in the form of a perfect man.
Mary was left in the temple for good and did not go back to her parents at all. She was left in the temple permanently. That is the meaning of “screened herself”. While she was in the temple and may have been grown up to about 12 or 13 years of age, she was visited by an angel (Gabriel, that is holy spirit) in some dream (vision). That angel appeared to Mary in the form of a perfect handsome ( lovable ) perfect man.
[19:18] قَالَتْ اِنِّىْۤ اَعُوْذُ بِالرَّحْمٰنِ مِنْكَ اِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا
[19:18] She said, ‘I seek refuge with the Gracious God from thee if indeed thou dost fear Him.’
Mary was very pious. She did not know that it was an angel from God. She could not tolerate the company of any man even in a dream. The Quran is telling that she sought refuge with God from that perfect man and told him also to keep away, if he was a pious person.
[19:19] قَالَ اِنَّمَاۤ اَنَا رَسُوْلُ رَبِّكِۖ لِاَهَبَ لَـكِ غُلٰمًا زَكِيًّا
**[19:19] He replied, ‘I am only a Messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a righteous son.’ **
Thereupon, the angel, the holy spirit, introduced himself as a messenger from her God to give her the good news about an illustrious son for her. That a pious, worthy, righteous son will be born to her…
[19:20] قَالَتْ اَنّٰى يَكُوْنُ لِىْ غُلٰمٌ وَّلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِىْ بَشَرٌ وَّلَمْ اَكُ بَغِيًّا
[19:20] She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste?’
Mary was old enough to know the matters of birth etc. So she told the angel “How could a son be born to her when no man had touched her.” She said, “She was not married, and she was not any unchaste (rebellous) person.” This was a dialogue between Mary and the angel in a vision only.
Mary told the angel that she could not have any son because she was not yet married and that she was not any misbehaving person.
[19:21] قَالَ كَذٰلِكِۚ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَىَّ هَيِّنٌۚ وَّلِنَجْعَلَهٗۤ اٰيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّاۚ وَكَانَ اَمْرًا مَّقْضِيًّا
**[19:21] He replied, ‘Thus it is.’ But says thy Lord, ‘It is easy for Me; and We shall do so that We may make him a Sign unto men, and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing decreed.’ **
The angel said, “It will be as I said.” That The Lord God says it was easy for Him and that He would make him (the son) a sign for all men and means of Mercy from Me (God). The angel said that it was a matter fully decided. It was bound to happen. ( Means that Mary will have a son.)
[19:22] فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانتَبَذَتْ بِهٖ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا
**[19:22] So she conceived him, and withdrew with him to a remote place. **
So it happened like that.Mary got married. The problems that she had presented before the angel were removed in due course of time. After a few years, she got married and left the temple. She concieved Jesus and went on travel to a far away place.
[19:23] فَاَجَآءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ اِلٰى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِۚ قَالَتْ يٰلَيْتَنِىْ مِتُّ قَبْلَ هٰذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَّنْسِيًّا
**[19:23] And the pains of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, ‘O! would that I had died before this and had become a thing quite forgotten!’ **
While she was travelling, her husband (Joseph) was with her. She felt the pains of delivery and there was no good place of rest. The child was not delivered near the palm tree. It only shows the bad and helpless condition at the time of delivery. She had no good comfortable facilities available that the ladies like to have at such times.
Muslims take many wrong meanings of the above verses. They say that she was weeping for shame about the birth of a son and that how would she explain that birth. But apparantly, there was no problem at all. Mary’s husband was with her.
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